Premier League on Prime Video in the UK ? Today!

It?s 8 am on Boxing Day as I sit down and write this. I like to write every day, even today, but it?s fair to say I?m not really in the mood for anything too taxing ? especially after pulling together mesh network basics for today?s main post! What I will do today, however, is take in more Premier League football in a single day than ever before, and it?s exclusively available on Prime Video.

It?s a bit of a tenuous link for Robode. This isn?t a football website, but I?m taking a chance that nobody else on the team is paying much attention today and I might get away with it. If anyone asks, I?ll say we write about smart products and link to Amazon enough that it?s as relevant as it needs to be. Let?s just call it a passion project!

What?s the Deal with the Premier League on Prime Video?

I?m not a massive tennis fan, but it hasn?t escaped my attention that numerous major events have streamed live on Prime Video. There were some teething problems, but they seem to have been mostly ironed out. Indeed, that article in the Guardian is the most recent I could find, and it?s over a year old.

Nothing beats personal experience, and while today is the main event of the season for Amazon, it isn?t the first time they?ve streamed the Premier League. They started earlier this month, and I watched Man City beat Burnley and a couple of other games. I have to say; the coverage was first class.

Unsurprisingly, Amazon hasn?t gone all out to say why they acquired a small Premier League broadcast package this season. Sky and BT, the ?traditional? broadcasters, still have the bulk of the games. Amazon?s games all fall in December and speculation is rife. One theory, which I?m on board with, is that Amazon felt it was worth it to grab the Boxing Day fixtures to drive Prime signups around Christmas and the upcoming sales.

For the Premier League, I read somewhere that they allocated this smaller package in the hope of sparking a bidding war between Amazon, Netflix and other major streaming services. Such a war never materialised, and Amazon may have bagged the rights for less than even they expected.

For the Viewers

For us, the viewers, it?s perhaps not perfect. I like it because I consider my Prime subscription among the basic human needs, and that?s just for speedy delivery. Prime Video, music, books and the other perks are just the icing on the cake.

That?s obviously not the case for everyone, and if you?re someone who laments the requirement for yet another service to get all the Premier League games you can, I can empathise. I had to draw the line somewhere, and BT Sport at ?30 a month on Sky wasn?t worth it for an occasional Saturday lunchtime kickoff and the Champions League. I?d rather have it than not, but when I used to subscribe, I?d find myself watching basketball and college football to feel like I got my money?s worth ? neither of which I have much interest in.

Is the Premier League on Prime Video Free?

I don?t feel that BT Sport is worth it at ?30 per month, but Amazon Prime is a different proposition. Whether or not you can stream the Premier League games for free comes down to your circumstances, but it?s inexpensive either way. You have the following options:

• If you?ve never held Prime membership on your Amazon account before, you can sign up for a free trial. That lasts for 30 days and, as long as you remember to cancel before those 30 days are up, you?ll pay nothing. That effectively makes today?s Premier League action free.
• If you?re an existing Prime member, you don?t need anything else. Fire up Prime Video on your device of choice, and you can rest assured that the live games will be heavily promoted enough that you won?t have to search far to start streaming.
• If you?re not a Prime member but ineligible for the free trial, you can sign up for Amazon Prime for ?7.99 for a month, or ?79 per year, which works out to ?6.58 per month. Even if you only have one device and like to focus on a specific game, you can conceivably watch four matches today, beating any Super Sunday I can remember. Considering a NOW TV Sky Sports day pass costs ?9.98, I?d say a month?s subscription for today?s entertainment is well worth it. Biased as I am, I?d say you?ll probably keep it afterwards anyway thanks to the other perks!

What to Expect from the Premier League on Prime Video on Boxing Day

As mentioned, I watched a couple of games from Amazon?s previous round of fixtures, and it was a fantastic experience. There were no problems with the live feed, although streams are generally a few seconds behind live action, so try to stay off Twitter while the game?s going on!

Football fans love a familiar face, and the freelance nature of punditry means that you?ll spot someone you recognise. Your pundits, presenters and commentators vary depending on what you watch, but the likes of Alex Scott, Alan Shearer, Dion Dublin and Clive Tyldesley are involved. Personal favourite Peter Crouch is also scheduled to make an appearance, although I?ve already decided on my 3 o’clock kickoff and even Crouchy won?t change that!

Not everyone has the luxury of a day to do whatever they fancy today. If you miss your team of a must-watch game like Leicester v Liverpool, full replays of all today?s games become available at midnight.

Is the Premier League on Prime Video in 4k?

For reasons unbeknownst to me, one game each day is available in 4k and HDR. While I?m not a fan of either team, I feel Amazon made the right choice in selecting Liverpool v Leicester. As the only game on tomorrow, Wolves v Man City receives the same treatment.

All other games are available in full HD.

Is the Premier League on Prime Video Available Outside the UK?

If you?re not in the UK, you?ll have to resort to your standard viewing option. Amazon bought the package from the Premier League in the same way as Sky and BT, so the rights only extend to UK Prime members. Fortunately, if you are outside the UK, you probably have a convenient and inexpensive way to watch the Premier League legally. We certainly won?t get started on how much easier it is to watch live Premier League action outside the UK than inside it!

Which Devices Can I Watch On?

You can access Prime Video on just about anything. Android and Apple smartphones are a given, as are any game consoles released in the last decade. Most smart TVs offer support for a Prime Video app too.

You can find Amazon?s official list of supported devices here.

If you?re fortunate enough to have the time to take in all four games today, I wish you all the goal-fests in the world!